The Dance of the Spider and Dragonfly
by Mrs.EdwardElric216
Summary: Alissa is a young girl living alone is a dark place ruled by a monster of a man. But Lord Edwin was not always like this and Alissa is determined to find out what happened. But the truth may be to horrible for her weak heart to handle...
1. Prologue

Prologue

Herein lies a tale of meaning, a story that is about us all, one that all human beings can learn from. It is the story of Alissa, a young human girl living in a dark world. This dark world is something that sits in the back of all human minds; it feeds off of our pain and grows stronger with each hardship. But Alissa's world is a physical place ruled by a shadowy figure who sits on a throne of lies, deception, and tyranny. In a place like this, Alissa would not stand a chance on her own. But she is, and that is where our story begins to unwind.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Alissa stared ahead at what was once her happy, cheerful, home as it burned to the ground. All that came out of that house was Alissa, her family trapped as the scared young girl fled the burning building, leaving everyone she loved to die. She would never forgive herself. _Wait,_ She thought as she remembered the black cat that lived in the old shed. She had named him Balteor of shadows and visited him often. Because the shed was not in use, her family had not known about Balteor and could not scare him away. Alissa did not believe the rumor that all cats are evil beings sent from Tsu Mang to kill.

But even if she did, Balteor had the attitude of a proud valerian. As she approached the old shack, the black cat came out of his hiding and looked up at her in confusion; he knew that she never came at this time of night. "Well, Balteor, I am on my own now and I want you to come with me, so I won't be so alone." The cat said nothing, but that was enough.

When the sun rose, Alissa looked up at the blue sky and, in high spirits, set off for the city. Now, you must wonder how little Alissa could be happy waking up in a beat down shack after sleeping on the cold ground in a thin nightgown the morning after her entire family's death. The answer is simple; she is too up to be down. She was broken, but after seeing the sun rise she figured that even if it doesn't last the day, she still has her life to live, plus she is too positive to stay down for long. Alissa and Balteor of shadows set off down the long road to Valeria's capital city, Chronos. But they are not yet ready to face what is yet to come.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Alissa stared ahead; they had finally come to the first village since they had set off. They had been traveling on foot for days. Without Balteor, Alissa would have starved to death. The young girl ran into the village with Balteor at her feet, eager to find someone charitable enough to take in a ten year old girl and a cat. This was just a dream and Balteor knew it, even if Alissa didn't. In a sad world, full of pain and suffering, there is no charity. But, Alissa has an effect on people, and in this particular village, there is an old woman who is searching for a little ray of sun to grasp to. "Hello!" Alissa yelled to the villagers as she ran down the path "We are looking for somewhere to sleep tonight, and provisions to hold us to the next town. We have no money, but I'm sure there is a way to work this out." It was a sight to see, that little girl in a nightdress with leaves and twigs all in her hair. It was probably her appearance that made the villagers back away, but one old woman stepped forward and said to Alissa " Well then, child, lets get the two of you cleaned up! I'm surprised you haven't caught your death in that dress." Alissa followed the old woman, despite the muttering of the villagers about an old hag they should have driven out years ago. At the edge of the village there was a tiny little cottage with an herb garden in the front and a goat in the back. The woman opened the front gate for them and led them inside. She spoke to them as she prepared tea "Don't mind them; you can never be too careful in times like these. My name is Mabel of olives; I'm the town outcast as you can see." Mabel poured some warmed milk in a saucer and put it on the floor in front of Balteor. Alissa smiled. "Well, I'm Alissa of starlight, and my companion is Balteor of shadows. We are traveling to Chronos to find work." As Mabel served the tea she gave her a confused look. "Why would a young girl like yourself be looking for work?" Alissa looked at the cup in front of her and sighed "My parents just died and I need to support myself now." It was the first time she had said it out loud and it felt wrong to her ears. It was just her and Balteor now, and for the first time, she was scared.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Mabel let them sleep in her little stable behind her cottage. Alissa was glad that it was early spring, the air was nice and the hay was soft. The old woman also gave Alissa a dress and some travel supplies, when Alissa tried to thank her, the old woman just smiled and said "oh, I'm not giving you these for free; I'm going to put you to work." Mabel's idea of work was tedious mornings of milking the goat and gathering eggs from the chickens. Alissa also fixed the fence, pulled weeds from the garden, and carried medicines down to the out door market to trade for other goods. Balteor earned his keep by killing all the mice and chasing animals out of the garden. They stayed there for a week before Alissa decided they should move on, but just as she walked through the village, the army came strutting down the path. The king's army used to protect these people, but now they just go around flaunting their power. Everone knew why they were here. Alissa had never left her families farm, but she had heard stories of soldiers coming into small towns and forcing any young adult they see fit to join. They always caused havoc before they left. Alissa and Balteor ducked into a narrow ally, but she was the last person to hide and there was already someone there. "Hey, watch it, kid." The voice came from directly behind her, and she turned around to see a young man. She had seen this young man before, when she traded medicine for fish; he was often the one she traded with. Alissa had seen the town's people treat him like a contagious disease and whisper about him behind their backs. He let out a deep breath and pulled out a blade, it was narrow and sharp at both sides, but it was long and beautiful and looked very lethal. He kissed the blade before bolting out in to the street. Alissa's first thought was that he had to be crazy, running out to face an army with one sword. But she also admired his bravery.


End file.
